Pickledilly News

The 2018 Palmetto Doubles Tournament was a huge success! Thank you to tournament director Lisa Miner, computer specialist Nelson Spitnale, and all of the other volunteers who made this outstanding event possible.

Chuck Buchanan has placed photos he took of the event under "Information/Photos" - or you can just click here. Thanks, Chuck, for taking these great pictures!

And congratulations to all the medal winners from the Aiken area. Aiken again showed what great pickleball program we have!

The USAPA Ratings Committee, the Board of Directors and the staff of the USAPA wish to thank everyone that has provided feedback. The USAPA, PickleballTournaments.com, and our contractors have been working daily to evaluate the system and adjust where necessary in order to ensure the ratings are as accurate as possible.

We are now at the end of Phase 2 and are moving to Phase 3 - Refine, Appeal and Educate. Phase 3 UTPRs consists of player inputs, data scrubs and algorithm refinements from the Phase 1 and 2 UTPR releases. The initial goal was to be in Phase 3 by today, September 12. However, due to some extenuating circumstances, we are making the following adjustments to the roll-out plan:

Date

Event

Comments

Note: Throughout the updated implementation schedule, the USAPA legacy rating remains in effect.

September 30, 2018

The third release of player ratings. Phase 3 UTPR Release - Refine, Appeal and Educate.

This is the players foundation rating that will be used for calculating their dynamic UTPR going forward.

October 1, 2018 - December 31, 2018

Appeal Process Begins. Players will be able to appeal the Phase 3 UTRPs according to the Post Production Rating Release Appeal Process that will be outlined with the release of the ratings on Sept 30.

Players will continue to use their legacy rating during this time.

4-digit ratings will be updated weekly to reflect recent tournaments played (tournament must have used pickleballtournaments.com).

December 31, 2018

Final Production UTPRs released. This will also include the first quarterly release of the updated 2-digit skill rating.

Weekly updates of the 4-digit UTPR will continue and quarterly updates of the 2-digit skill begin. No additional player appeals will be accepted.

January 1, 2019

UTPRs become the official USAPA rating.

Sanctioned tournaments that open player registration after January 1 will use UPTRs.

Sanctioned tournaments that opened player registration prior to January 1 will use legacy ratings.

While we feel we are very close with the delivery of the UTPRs, this amended implementation plan was adjusted primarily for the following reasons:

Additional time is required to update the PickleballTournaments.com software.

Additional time is required to refine the ratings program which allows players ample time to appeal their rating according to the new appeal process (being announced Sept 30)

Additional time needed to educate tournament players and directors on the various ratings including what each rating means, how it is calculated, and how to use them.

The road to an automated rating is not easy and we understand that accuracy in a player's rating is critical for quality tournament play. Your patience and understanding during this growth phase is vital to the future of our sport. While change is always difficult, we are fortunate to have this opportunity to implement this system now rather than in the future when participation levels have doubled or tripled in size.

USAPA has approved Mo Garcia as the District Ambassador for the Midlands District in South Carolina. He is replacing Loretta Beckner. He currently has 10 local ambassadors in the Midlands District reporting to him. Mo will be working directly with the Regional Director, Joe Borrelli, who heads the newly aligned Mid-Atlantic Region.

Mo will be a wonderful asset to USAPA in promoting pickleball in the Midlands. Please give him your support whenever possible, as he takes on yet another pickleball responsibility! Congratulations, Mo, and thank you!

We are pleased to announce that the USAPA has recently approved Chuck Buchanan as the new USAPA Pickleball Ambassador for Aiken, replacing Mike Beckner.

Chuck has been an active player for over six​ years with the Aiken Pickledillys. He recently retired from full time employment and now plans to devote some of his time fostering and nurturing pickleball in Aiken. With the sport pretty well entrenched in Aiken, Chuck hopes to focus on introducing the sport to local high school phys ed programs and to growing the sport in the Aiken County Parks and Recreation system.

Please welcome Chuck as your new ambassador and support him in his efforts to grow pickleball in the CSRA!

Sunday June 3 was a special day for the Aiken Pickledillys. Loretta and Mike Beckner recently retired in their District and Local Ambassador roles and we celebrated their contributions to the development and growth of pickleball in Aiken and beyond.

Loretta and Mike introduced pickleball to Aiken in 2010. From its earliest days when people were confused by its name and often didn't show up in enough numbers to fill one court, pickleball has grown to an extended community of 500 individuals with enough regular players that the 9 city-provided indoor courts, and often the outdoor courts, are full to capacity. We are bursting at the seams thanks to Loretta and Mike's outreach.

The event at Trio's in the Alley was attended by over 80 guests. Speeches touched on all aspects of the contributions by the Beckners, with representatives from the city, the Ambassador community and the Pickledillys, providing perspective. Loretta and Mike concluded the evening with emotional remarks capturing the history, humor and excitement of pickleball in Aiken.

Thank you Loretta and Mike for all you have done to give us a new passion, improve our health, create new friendships and celebrate time together.

The Edgefield Town Gym has indoor pickleball for drop-in play on Tuesdays at 10 a.m. The address is 380 Church Street, Edgefield, SC 29824. If you're interested in playing in Edgefield, contact Steve Miner: (408) 877-6547 or steveminer@gmail.com. Please check with Steve to confirm that there will be enough players if you're coming for the first time. Please note that there is no air conditioning in the gym.

We regularly encounter nets that are damaged where the wooden or plastic post holding the center of the net meets the plastic strap along the top of the net. We have recently had to repair numerous nets, but these repairs are temporary. Some of you may even be a member of one of our unofficial duct tape crews (thank you!). We have asked the City if they can purchase new nets but their budget is extremely limited.

There are a couple of things we can do to minimize damage to the nets.

1. Keep your paddle off the net: We have seen players at particularly discouraging moments in a match slam their paddles on top of the center post. Not good for paddles or nets. This stresses the net strap where it rests on the post and the wear and tear weakens the net at that point.

2. Do not attach the center post Velcro through the net: The center post of the net should be positioned between the net and the steel post insert at the base. (See photo.) If the net is installed properly it will preserve the net and avoid undue wear and tear caused by the small Velcro strip. Additionally, all Velcro tension straps at the far ends of the net should be loosened before inserting and removing the two side steel posts which support the net.

(Article continued after photo.)

3. Don't lose or remove the plastic tip at the top of the center post: Most center posts have a small hard plastic tip. It provides a cushion at the top of the post and helps prevent cutting into the net strapping at the top. Please be aware of this and make an effort to ensure it is always attached to the center post.